Stand up for what you believe in – and speak up
Daily Express
THE present and future crop of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leaders must stand up for what they believe in, speak up for the masses and be accounted for, according to party founding member and former Chief Minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat.
The ex-Kudat Assemblyman also said that this is in tandem with two objectives of LDP – to strive for and establish a fair, just and equal society, regardless of racial origin or creed; and promote and ensure the socio-economic, educational and cultural advancement of all races in the creation of a just and stable society.
Likewise, the Government must also be fair and accountable to all communities in the country, regardless of race and religion, in creating a truly Malaysian society.
In this regard, Chong praised State Tourism, Culture & Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun for the latter’s outspokenness, saying “we need more Masidis around”.
Sometime ago, Masidi lashed out at his alma mater UiTM (Mara Institute of Technology) for allowing a seminar that offended Malaysian Christians at its premises in Shah Alam, Selangor.
Masidi had said that institutes of higher learning should be a platform to unite the people and not taken advantage of by irresponsible parties who use their campuses to organise activities that could threaten the harmony.
“Personally, as a former student of UiTM, I am deeply saddened by this incident because during my time in UiTM, nothing like this ever happened,” he was quoted as saying.
Several speakers, including from Indonesia, had openly criticised Christianity at the seminar, claiming that Christians were betraying God unless they became Muslims.
Masidi lamented that people who constantly argue about religion failed to see that both Islam and Christianity basically teach the same values and said the best legacy is good work, love and tolerance. “Most importantly, love of God, whatever your religion is,” he had said. Rest of the interview:
DE: In view of the party’s 25th anniversary, how do you feel about having reached this milestone?
Chong: I think 25 years is not a short period of time, neither is it a very long history. But for us in Sabah, 25 years is something that the members in the party, I mean LDP, can be proud of. Because looking back, we today are acknowledged as the oldest State party within the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. LDP recently was reminded of this very important fact by the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) himself. Najib said that we (LDP) have been the oldest, BN component in the State, the most senior component. This is one fact that I am sure all members and supporters of LDP can be proud of. The year 1991 marked our entry into BN as the national coalition’s first Chinese-based political party from Sabah.
DE: Can you relate some of the experiences you underwent that could be useful for the new leadership?
Chong: What is important to me is that the leadership in LDP must not only have that bonding, that close leadership amongst themselves. The Central Committee, the President, the Deputy President and all their colleagues must not only bond amongst themselves but they must also connect with the grassroots. That is of utmost importance. Talking about my experience, when I was leading the party for well over 17 years, I think, the top leadership amongst ourselves, we have been buddies.
DE: Can you elaborate how and why this is important?
Chong: We really have been buddies. At meetings or discussions, we can really argue, talk over issues and can laugh over it. Absolutely no hard feelings. And at the same time, we have been very close to all the divisional chiefs within the State. I think this is what the current leadership will have to be reminded about and to continue the trend if they are determined to really take the party to greater heights.
DE: What will be your key messages to the present LDP leaders, members and supporters in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the party’s formation?
Chong: One very important message which I will be very happy to pass on to the current leadership, all members and supporters of LDP is to be courageous – stand up for what you believe in, speak up and be accounted for.
DE: Speak up for their rights, the community’s interests or Sabahans?
Chong: Well, not just for their rights actually but for fairness to all communities. I think if you just talk about speaking up for your rights, then you will be seen as getting obsessed and becoming parochial. That will be dangerous.
DE: In what way?
Chong: Everything will become subjective. You will be self-centred, everything revolves around your rights and this is exactly what we are facing today with all these extreme groups. Unfortunately, the Government is perceived to tolerate the emergence of extremism in the country.
DE: You mean Perkasa.
Chong: Perkasa, Isma (Malaysian Muslim Solidarity) and all these. In the past, there was no such thing. For 22 years, I was under Tun Dr Mahathir. The intellectuals, the professionals can curse Dr Mahathir but for 22 years, we never saw extremist groups being allowed to talk nonsense and threaten people. What I am trying to say to the present leadership, the members of LDP and the supporters is ‘Have the courage to speak up on what is fair, not to speak up only for your rights, what constitutes to be fair to all and tell all. We are not Malay, we are not Chinese, we are not Kadazandusun, we are not Indian, we are not Dayak but we are Malaysian.
DE: But it would be difficult to dispense with the subject of rights in any party’s struggle.
Chong: Fine, if you want to talk about rights, then it should be the rights of Malaysians, not the rights of the Malays, not the rights of the Chinese and that is my message to the party. Naturally, if you want the society at large to respect you, to hold you in high esteem, to remember you, please remember to do that. Have the courage to speak up for what is fair to all communities.
DE: What is your view on the state of affairs in LDP today and what do you propose as the best solution to the protracted leadership problem?
Chong: I have always looked at things like this… you know, in politics, in any organisation, leaders will have to reflect and ask themselves this question : Are you with your members? If you are with your members, you know for sure you can continue leading the party. If you are not with your members, be graceful and just take leave. Make your exit in a gracious manner.
DE: You have kept a low profile since you stepped down as party President. Haven’t you thought of doing something about it then as a party elder?
Chong: In fact, people don’t know I have been trying to keep a very low profile. I refuse to get involved actually after I retired. I make it a point to refrain from making statements. But having said that, I remember I still did mention something in the papers about the leadership tussle.
DE: Did the two groups approach you for a resolution?
Chong: Both factions, in fact, came to see me at my residence separately.
DE: Seeking your advice?
Chong: Seeking my advice and I have given my advice to both sides. I don’t know whether they have accepted. If they have accepted, then there won’t be all these dirty linen in public and embarrassing things.
DE: One faction even talked about LDP’s intention to leave the Barisan Nasional (BN).
Chong: These are all after-thoughts, you see. Why was this not mentioned prior to the 13th General Election or during the Election?
DE: How did the allegation come about?
Chong: I am not going to comment on whoever made this sort of claim. But I think that is not going to be useful to whoever made such an allegation today. I mean if they want to leave BN, why was this not discussed before the 13th General Election? Why only after everything has been settled by the ROS (Registrar of Societies)? And both parties, for all I know, also have been urging the ROS to recognise them, respectively. They cannot run away from this fact. The fact remains that both parties, both factions approached the ROS. It’s not the ROS trying to interfere, you know.
DE: That’s what one faction claimed.
Chong: They have written letters after letters to ROS justifying why they should be recognised.
DE: The issue is dragging on endlessly.
Chong: Yes, and that is a fact. So whoever is going to drag this on into the papers is just not doing them any good. The ROS has already decided after (meeting) both factions. I know that’s a fact, both have made representation to ROS to urge the ROS to duly recognise them. Yes, they were the ones who went and pestered the ROS, not the ROS unfairly or biased in making the judgement.
DE: Lately accusations and counter accusations by leaders of the two factions in LDP were becoming a “side show” that is not good for the party.
Chong: I have given my advice to both parties and I have also personally met the Prime Minister and given him my view.
DE: You met the PM in Kuala Lumpur?
Chong: Yes.
DE: Was it last year?
Chong: End of last year. The PM has been very gracious to me. When I called on him, he heard me out for quite some time. We had a heart-to-heart talk. The PM had given me time and he listened, you know, to my view regarding the situation in the party.
DE: What did the Prime Minister have to say about it?
Chong: Well, what is important is the PM and I agreed on one thing. The leader who should be accepted is one that has got the real support of the original members of the party, not people who have never been in LDP or have left the party, and are now being roped in to drum up support. Actually (Datuk) V.K. Liew is roping in all these non-LDP people and ex-members into the party. Ridiculous, isn’t it?
DE: They are not originally registered members?
Chong: Many are not even members, you see.
DE: How is Tan Sri able to distinguish?
Chong: Look, I have been the party leader. Just one glaring example. I give you one, a fact, one guy by the name of Fong Vun Fui who was an LDP Youth Leader before and then left LDP. He became an Independent candidate in the 2008 General Election to contest against V.K. Liew who was the LDP candidate. You can check that out and, somehow in the midst of this LDP crisis, V.K. Liew appointed him back as a Supreme Council member. Just imagine, he (Fong) was an Independent candidate in 2008, standing in the Sandakan parliamentary constituency. He opposed V.K. Liew. He lost and V.K. Liew won but suddenly you find him in the Supreme Council appointed by V.K. Liew. Fong was already expelled by LDP for contesting on an Independent ticket, and now V.K. Liew took him back (laughs). So how can he (V.K. Liew) expect respect from the real LDP members?
DE: Through what means, how did he (V.K. Liew) take him back? Did he go through the Supreme Council?
Chong: No, he didn’t. I told V.K. Liew. He came to me. Likewise, Teo came to me. All came to me individually, separately, and I told V.K. Liew that you cannot, you have no right under the party’s Constitution. I was the drafter of the Constitution and I know. How could you suspend 23 out of 36 members in the Supreme Council? I said, ‘You cannot out of 36 available suspend 23. The fact that you suspended 23, suddenly you created a lack of quorum (laughs). He (V.K. Liew) invariably is the creator of the lack of quorum. As such, without a quorum, how can you yourself merely go and appoint new faces to fill up the vacuum and create your CEC?
DE: Which is the Central Executive Committee?
Chong: Correct but more popularly known as Supreme Council, you know. Under the Constitution, the party can fill up the Supreme Council’s positions in full – 45. During my time, we never filled up 45. V.K. Liew had 36 and he suspended a total of 23 Supreme Council members, claiming that they had rebelled against the party’s Constitution. That means you created the disappearance of a quorum. With no more quorum, how then could you convene any meeting of the Supreme Council in the first place?
DE: You are saying that he (V.K. Liew) filled it up with his own people without going through a proper Supreme Council?
Chong: That’s right, he filled it up with his own people, some who are not even members of LDP in the first place.
DE: But the President also has the prerogative to appoint some.
Chong: The President has the right to appoint a total of 15 after consultation with the Supreme Council. That’s why you have 45 members.
DE: So 15 appointed and 30 elected?
Chong: Not all 30, I think, including the Secretary-General, altogether five are appointed by the President after consulting the Supreme Council.
DE: Who are the five?
Chong: Five including the Secretary-General, Treasurer-General, their Deputies and Organising Secretary. I think five of them, five or six. So there are at least 22 elected members of the Supreme Council. So how can you abruptly appoint the full Supreme Council without going through election? And on top of it, you don’t even have a quorum for any Supreme Council meeting to start off.
DE: But Tan Sri had already advised him (V.K. Liew).
Chong: I told him, “No, you don’t even have a quorum. How can you simply go around and appoint Supreme Council members?”
DE: What was his response?
Chong: ‘No, he said, ‘I’ve got the power because I am the President.’ He passed the buck to me, saying that I created the Presidential Council.
DE: What is the Presidential Council about?
Chong: The Presidential Council has no right to create a new Supreme Council or to suspend incumbents wholesale.
DE: The Presidential Council is different from the Supreme Council?
Chong: Yes, different. The Supreme Council consists of 45 members if full house. On top of that, I created a Presidential Council comprising the President, the Deputy President, the five Vice-Presidents plus the two ex-officio Vice-Presidents, who are Youth and Wanita leaders, so nine altogether.
DE: They sit on the Presidential Council?
Chong: Plus the Secretary-General and Treasurer-General.
DE: Eleven altogether?
Chong: Thirteen of them, I think, sit in the Presidential Council, including the Information Chief and Organising Secretary. And the big joke here is most of the Presidential Council members at that point in time were not in support of the President.
DE: Was that so?
Chong: The President called a meeting of the Presidential Council but I think all of them boycotted him.
DE: Not a single one attended?
Chong: None turned up.
DE: So how could he (V.K. Liew) hold a meeting?
Chong: Exactly. Interestingly, since the incumbents didn’t turn up, he deemed he has the right to go and appoint people to fill up the Presidential Council (laughs).
DE: Tan Sri, so you are fully aware of what is happening.
Chong: I have been following the developments closely. Furthermore, they wrote long letters to me, emailed to me. I still keep all these correspondences.
DE: Teo also communicated with you?
Chong: Both, they came to my house, not once.
DE: How come the matter remains unsolved until today? V.K. Liew is still pursuing the matter relentlessly.
Chong: That’s why I said it’s clear-cut. I had a long session with the Prime Minister. I have given my view to the PM who is the Head of BN, on who is the rightful group under the party’s Constitution. And as far as I know, the Registrar of Societies (ROS) had correctly recognised Teo Chee Kang as the legitimate President.
DE: Under the law?
Chong: Under the law and party’s Constitution, it’s all crystal clear.
DE: But V.K. Liew doesn’t want to throw in the towel.
Chong: Well, he would just make a fool of himself, that’s all as far as I am concerned. He wants to try to rubbish the party, he will never succeed.
DE: Tan Sri, you hardly said anything in the media over this issue.
Chong: That’s right.
DE: Despite there being many Chinese-based parties in BN, they have not been able to deliver the required Chinese votes to BN in the 13th General Election. Do you see this as due to BN’s fault or because these Chinese parties have lost direction?
Chong: Well, to me, this is not a question of too many Chinese-based parties in BN. It’s not a question of whose fault, you know. It’s not BN’s fault, Chinese-based parties’ fault or whoever’s fault. It’s a question of leadership, be it BN or Opposition. To get the grassroots’ support, you must show fairness to all.
DE: That is what is crucial?
Chong: That is critical, that is the key to all this, I repeat, fairness to all.
DE: So it’s not Chinese-based parties having lost direction?
Chong: No, it’s fairness to all and on top of that, the courage to uninhibitedly voice out the people’s concerns. One is expected to speak up publicly.
DE: You are referring to the party leaders?
Chong: Yes, the leaders. The other point I wish to stress is the ability to pluck up courage to speak up to your colleagues, be it Umno or others. If Umno is your first among equals, then you must be valiant enough to speak to the Umno leaders. Speak up, and not every time kowtow to say, “Yes, Sir”, “Yes, Sir”, or keep quiet.
DE: Politicians talk a lot but very little action. This is the public’s perception.
Chong: You talk a lot but please walk the talk. Have you followed up on what you have been saying? How many politicians do that? Too much talk and no concrete action.
DE: How many in your view have practised what they preach?
Chong: No, not many.
DE: Why then in your view has the Opposition been able to command increasing Chinese support?
Chong: They speak up not only for the sentiments of the Chinese but they speak up for all communities. In fact, it started in the 2008 General Election. People decline to talk about it or they don’t realise that it’s not the Chinese that are standing up against the Government. It’s all Malaysians and significantly it’s the Malays that are standing up, too.
DE: This explains the increasing Malay support for the Opposition.
Chong: Precisely. Yes, it’s the Malays who started to speak up and to stand up for what they think was wrong. I think that’s the crucial thing that we have to realise, and how do we go and address all this? Again back to my first message.
DE: Fairness.
Chong: A lot of courage to speak up. Malays were also sidelined by our BN. So it’s not only the Chinese that were sidelined, a lot of Malays were marginalised, too.
DE: How can BN hope to regain the people’s support?
Chong: We have to realise that to get back their support, we have to accord fairness to all, not only fairness to the Chinese and Indians but also to the grass-roots Malays.
DE: The masses.
Chong: I think it’s important.
DE: So the Opposition were able to garner not just Chinese but also Indian and Malay support?
Chong: Yes, they were speaking up to stir the sentiments of not only the Chinese and Indians but also that of the Malays because they (Malays) are also disappointed and disillusioned with the Government, you know. A lot of Malays are also disillusioned with us.
DE: You mean with the Barisan Nasional (BN)?
Chong: With the BN, yes. It is a known fact that the Malays significantly rose up for the first time in the history of Malaysia against the incumbent government.
DE: This was unheard of in the post-Independence years.
Chong: Unthinkable before. So we have to ask ourselves why. This is because we are not only unfair to the Chinese and Indians, we are also unfair to the Malays, a lot of Malays.
DE: You are not just expressing your concern, you are speaking up now.
Chong: We have to do it. It is now time for us to ponder and see how we can address the prevailing situation. So it comes back to my first message – let us be fair to everybody and give them equitable treatment. Sabahans, like any Malaysians in Malaysia, expect fairness.
DE: The KL-based Opposition thinks people in Sabah should support them rather than Sabah-based parties if they wish to see things done. They say only when they make noise, will the Government take note of things. Do you find this also to be the case?
Chong: Back to my central message, it’s not whether you are Semenanjung-based, whether you are State-based. If you are State-based, you have no guts, you have no courage to raise concerns affecting the people, what is the point of being State-based? On the same note, if you are State-based, you are only producing leaders who jump day after day, then what is the point of a State-based? It is purposeless. Likewise, if you are Federal-based, and now, Federal is apparently infected by the Sabah practice. Now you start to see that the DAP has also got leaders who are elected by the people and then jump ship. So it’s not a question of whether you are Federal-based or State-based. The people in Sabah are just like any Malaysians in Malaysia. They don’t care what party you are, where you originate, if you have got good leaders, respectable leaders, courageous leaders, principled leaders, they will undoubtedly go for you.
DE:Do you think the acceptance of DAP’s Hiew King Cheu into MCA was proper?
Chong: It’s not a question of proper or not proper. This is the sort of practice which will not do any good to any party. Any party that accepts “political frogs” will not do good to it.
DE: MCA?
Chong: Any party, not just MCA. You know what I mean, if LDP today go and accept those State Assemblymen, those MPs from another party who betray their party and come in, LDP would not be portraying a good image to the people. Definitely, you won’t accept it.
DE: What Chinese issues in Sabah remain to be addressed in your view?
Chong: There is no specific issue for any race as far as I am concerned. In my experience as a politician for the last 30 years, every issue has to be guided by what is considered fair. For instance, you cannot say every time, it’s Chinese education, Chinese education, Chinese education.
DE: Why not? That’s what Chinese political and community leaders have been shouting about all this while.
Chong: That’s the sort of point. Before the Government gave financial grants, we had the Mission schools. The Mission schools in the past never got money from the Government,and so were the Chinese schools in the past. We have good Mission and Chinese schools, we never got money from the Government in the past. Why we survived? So there is good point also in “berdikari” (stand on one’s own feet). Independence is the word. Therefore, we will not subject ourselves to political patronage.
DE: So this will do away with the dependency syndrome?
Chong: Dependency syndrome and political patronage are never good.
DE: The Government is seen to be giving a lot of financial aid to Mission and Chinese schools now.
Chong: The Government has to because all teachers in Mission and Chinese schools are nowadays appointed and paid by the Government. We have to thank the Government for the assistance. Nothing wrong. But decades ago, we didn’t have any help,and yet we survived against the odds.
DE: And the schools also produced academically excellent students.
Chong: Exactly, discipline, no political interference, no dependency syndrome, this sort of thing.
DE: The presence of many Chinese-based parties gives the impression that the Chinese community in the country is fragmented and not united, politically speaking. What is Tan Sri’s view?
Chong: I have already said that it’s not a question of having too many parties. The fragmentation is not because of too many political parties in our midst. The fragmentation is simply, you know, we don’t have enough political leaders having the guts, the courage to speak their minds. One very outstanding leader you can mention is (Datuk) Masidi Manjun who got the courage to speak his mind. In his recent tirade, he condemned extremism. It was the headline in the Daily Express. Well-written article, he articulated his views. The end result was first-class. We need more people like him to speak their minds publicly and for all. He practically spoke for all, not just for the Christians whose religion was attacked. He spoke for all. Respect for each other is of paramount importance in a multi-racial society like Malaysia’s.
DE: We need more Muslim leaders like him for a liveable Malaysia?
Chong: Indeed, we need more Masidis around.
DE: It has even been said at one stage that Chinese leaders are selfish and only think of their own interests. What is your response?
Chong: Well, if that is what the people think, then make sure that such leaders don’t re-surface in the next election. I am not going to say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ but I am going to respond by saying that if the masses know that there are such leaders, the masses must make sure that such leaders will not be returned through the ballot-box in the next General Election. They (if any) don’t deserve the people’s support. They don’t deserve to be politicians. They don’t deserve to be leaders.
DE: As a founding member and past president, do you envisage the possibility of LDP merging with other Chinese-based parties to be a stronger political entity in the future?
Chong: No, I don’t anticipate that. No way. LDP will carry on its struggle as long as there are good leaders at the helm. I believe they have got a batch of professionals like a second echelon leadership.
DE: For now?
Chong: Right now and in the future.
DE: In 2007, you resigned from the State Cabinet over the State Government’s order to stop construction of the Kudat Mazu statue (Goddess of the Sea). Have you considered the issue as over?
Chong: The Kudat Mazu issue is to me a non-issue. It’s a matter of Providence, you know. Do you not believe the Divine will know what to do? We are just humans. We cannot fight the Divine. I know without a doubt that the Divine will stand up one day.
